Electrically conductive polymeric compositions are well known and have a wide variety of applications. These compositions can be used to form electrically conductive films and patterns in electronic devices for example. An example of such an application is the use of a paste in manufacturing photovoltaic cells. Silver electrodes having low contact resistance can be formed from these conductive compositions. However, silver paste used for making photovoltaic cells based on crystalline silicon, requires high temperatures for curing, such as firing temperatures greater than 700° C. This is problematic for certain devices, since many electronic devices should not be exposed to such high temperatures. For example, when forming solar cells having a Si:H base, processing temperatures must not exceed 250° C., so as to not degrade the heat sensitive material. Thus, many known electrically conductive compositions can not be used for such applications. The high electrical conductivity is another requirement in applications, such as solar cells to achieve high efficiency. Therefore, it would be desirable to provide highly electrically conductive compositions that can be thermally cured at relatively low temperatures, such as less than 250° C.
Most polymeric compositions used in forming electronic components include a solvent that must eventually be removed either after application of the composition and/or upon curing. Solvent removal operations raise various environmental concerns and typically increase overall expense associated with processing the composition and/or forming the electronic assembly. In addition, solvent removal operations generally increase manufacturing or processing times and increase production variables thus leading to increased defect rates and/or lower quality in the products. Thus, it would be particularly desirable to provide an electrically conductive composition that was solvent-free.